[Suggestion] Nintendo Switch (paid) support.

[ddabrahim]

Okay so recently I got very interested in targeting the Nintendo Switch more so than an iPad or Android tablet.
I have considered my options and I have realised there is not many options I actually have.

MonoGame
Heaps.io
Unity
Unreal
Defold
GameMaker
Love2D also in theory has ports available and businesses offer porting services but I am uncertain about it.

So the options are not great.
MonoGame maybe the only one I would seriously consider. Heaps is also interesting but I don't like the programming language. Love2D is also would be interesting and I like Lua very much but there is nothing official out there regarding porting to Switch. I am not interested to use any of the other game engines.

It was talked about a few times on the forum how or why Cerberus X could stand out. And at the moment it seems to me there is not many options out there if people want to target Switch. Maybe Switch support would be an interesting way to bring attention to CX and of course it would be a paid port.

Why would you want to target the Switch?

The project I am working on is an educational game and I have just realised how much superior the Switch is for educational purposes.

1. Cost. The Switch is cost something like $300 while an iPad and good Android tablet cost $400 not much difference but $100 can mean a lot for a single mother for example. But even if the cost is the same...

2. Features for $300 the Switch has touch screen, motions sensors, detachable joys, can use it in your hands, stand on a table or connected to a TV.

3. Safe. With limited internet access, kids less likely exposed to madness on the internet. No web browsing, no TikTok, no Reddit, no Facebook The only access kids have to the internet is through Youtube but from my experience YouTube is better moderated than any of the other platforms out there.

4. Safe. No social platforms to expose the kids to any kind of online communities and through that to harmful effects of of the internet.

So if somebody have a kid and looking for a device for the kid to watch videos, play games, learn, Switch is a much better option than an iPad or Android device in my opinion especially if you are on a low budget.

For the above reasons, there are many educational tools also developed for the Switch which does actually make it a viable option if someone looking for tablet devices to be used in a class.

I have no idea how complicated would it be to port CX for the Switch and the cost, I am aware of that it is cost money, developer fees to pay, a dev kit to buy, NDA to sign. But I genuinely believe it is worth it especially after my family did surprise me with a Switch for Christmas. I never told them I want one or being interested in a Switch in any ways, I was completely ignorant about it to be honest. I had no intention to ever get one. In my head it was just an other very small iPad. But since I have one, I have realised what an incredible piece of hardware this is and how much superior than an iPad or Android tablet when it comes to pure gaming in a kid friendly environment. I love it and I definitely would like to attempt to develop something for it.

But if you think I am missing something, feel free to correct me, maybe my mind is just clouded at the moment and there is something I haven't considered.

 

[dawlane]

something I haven't considered

Yes. The number of people that have the time to work on such a project and the number of users that are going to pay for the support.
MonoGame, Heaps.io, Unity, Unreal, Defold, GameMaker and Love2D are either have large communities, or are funded by organizations, and major companies. And therefore have either enough active members, or have the funding to hire personnel to write, maintain and test code.

 

[ddabrahim]

Yes. The number of people that have the time to work on such a project and the number of users that are going to pay for the support.

That is definitely true but wondering how many new developers would attract Switch support alone and once the porting is done how much effort would it be to keep it maintained. Since their API is private and need to sign an NDA uncertain how often Nintendo make changes to their API that force developers to constantly update things on their end to keep their game running.

I would think the situation can not be worse than with Android. As Google constantly change their minimum API levels and with the many different Android devices running different versions of Android at different resolution on different chips personally I find it a nightmare to develop for Android.

iOS is a bit better, more predictable with only few generations to consider but still there is multiple generations to consider.

With Nintendo Switch as far as I know there is only 1 gen though I don’t know the statistics of how many devices got stuck on an old system, never get updated but it is effect mostly games released on a cartridge I would think. But maybe I am wrong. No idea if my logic has any truth to it or not.

 

[Phil7]

All in all I think Nintendo Switch is a good choice as a platform. My older son got one three month ago and I have to say I really like the concept and what they achieve regarding the hardware.
There is already a target for it out there, but I don't know if it is still maintained.
Regarding educational content I don't see a chance for it to get into classes and I know the discussions there pretty well.
But I think for learning at home it is great, because a lot of the kids use it on a regular basis and there is not entrance hurdle with it for the kids.

 

[ddabrahim]

Regarding educational content I don't see a chance for it to get into classes and I know the discussions there pretty well.
But I think for learning at home it is great, because a lot of the kids use it on a regular basis and there is not entrance hurdle with it for the kids.

Yes I think in a traditional class room where students do their assignments online and also need office applications, an Android tablet or even an iPad or Chromebook is more reasonable and in case serious coding classes a Windows device.

But one of the first things I have tried was FUZE 4, it is a coding tool for the Switch and the company behind it actually use it in their after school workshops to teach coding to kids. The seats always sold out so there is certainly demand for something like this and there are tons of educational, electronic tools that integrate with the Switch.

But yes I can’t argue with that it is propably not going to replace tablets, iPads and Chromebooks in class rooms. But it has the potential regardless.

There is already a target for it out there, but I don't know if it is still maintained

That looks very promissing but to be honest I prefer not to contact strangers on the web. I would prefer at minimum a proper business or freelance website that offer porting services or something that I can hire through official channels and get proper billing.

But I am extremely happy to see that it is possible to port mojo2 for the Switch. When I get home I propably try some of the games on the Switch.